


Mediocrity and Other Struggles

by mynameisyarra



Series: The Fowl Siblings and Other Struggles [2]
Category: Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cliffhangers, Eventual Crossover, Family Issues, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-07-24 18:29:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7518730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mynameisyarra/pseuds/mynameisyarra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their brother was and is the perfect son.</p>
<p>They struggle with it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mediocrity and Other Struggles

**Author's Note:**

> Act 1
> 
> Ends with a cliffhanger, so don't be confused

From the age of 4, Beckett and Myles Fowl were an inseparable duo of mischief. It wasn’t that they were being the terror twins on purpose, at least not at first. They  _ were _ just children after all, and they simply didn’t know better. Everyone was happy they were not junior criminal masterminds like their older brother. However, that didn’t mean that the world--be it above or underground- may sigh in relief. Because they might not be their older brother but they were still a pair of Fowls.

It all started when Juliet made an offhand comment on how glad she was that she’d been assigned to them and not Artemis. At first, they didn’t think much about it. Heck, they probably thought of it as a compliment at one point--Arty was one weird older brother, after all-- but as they grew older and started to grasp the concept of mediocrity, they took it up as a challenge.

“ _ What _ are you two doing?” Juliet put an emphasis on the word ‘what’, as if she didn’t know better.

Beckett, sweet child that he was, answered with a beaming smile and a chipper tone. “We are trying to find out who Arty’s girlfriend is!” Myles nudged him rather harshly in his ribs, glaring at his twin with a bemused frown.”What? It won’t hurt to tell her!” Beckett complained.

“She might tell Artemis later!” Myles hissed, trying to sound conspirative in his high pitched 7 years old voice.

“But she’s our bodyguard!” The older one pouted before turning to Juliet, “You won’t tell Artemis, will you?”

Now, Juliet  _ could  _ lie and tell them she won’t. After all, Artemis had been through a lot and he deserved some privacy.  _ Or  _ she could redirect the conversation so she wouldn’t have to lie to her own charges. “Why do you think he has a girlfriend? It’s Artemis, he thinks romance is a waste of time.”

“Yeah? Then why does he write romance novels?” Myles retorted.

The young Butler creased her brows and frowned, “What romance novels?”

“The ones he writes.” The black haired twin looked smug, “You don’t know about it.”

“Because that’s not true and just a load of bull--waffles.” Juliet folded her arms.

“What’s a bullwaffles?” Beckett asked in confusion.

“It’s what people say when you know that the person you’re talking to is making stuff up.” She replied smoothly.

“No it’s not!” Myles looked offended. “I’m telling the truth! Two years ago when we managed to break into his office, we saw his letters to-- to--  _ someone _ saying he doesn’t want his novels to be made into a movie!”

“Yeah!” Beckett chimed in, “Then he came out of the bathroom and got mad at us!”

“Of course he got mad at you!” She chided them. “You broke into his safe place! That’s not nice!”

“Artemis isn’t nice either!” Beckett huffed.

“He’s  _ trying _ .” Juliet defended him. “And you should too.” She said with finality that meant ‘this conversation is over’.

The twins could only frown, dissatisfied by the reaction they got. It wasn’t  _ fair _ . Artemis got everything! Their mother’s adoration, their father’s attention, the Butlers’ loyalty, and the-- the-- his smartness and stuff. Myles strived to be smart _ er _ , even more than their older brother. And it might be possible for him! Considering that he managed to bypass Artemis’ security the last two years!

“You don’t manage to do it anymore though.” Beckett pointed out. The older twin had come to terms with the fact that he wasn’t a genius like either of his brothers. He wasn’t terribly disappointed in himself like he thought he would be, but the nagging jealousy would sometimes reared its ugly head.

“ _ Haven’t _ , you simpleton. I haven’t managed to do it yet. Doesn’t mean I  _ can’t _ .” Myles huffed in annoyance, obviously offended by his twin’s insinuation.It was true that Artemis seemed to have improved a lot--not to mention less weird and more distant- but that didn’t mean Myles couldn’t catch up.

“Sure.” Beckett didn’t mean to sound… well,  _ mean _ . It just came out like that, clipped and dismissive and  _ mean _ . He winced when Myles glared at him.

“At least  _ I  _ know how to hack a computer.” The youngest Fowl sneered at his twin.

“Well, sor _ ry _ for not being a certified genius like everyone else!” Beckett snapped. “Not everyone is born with an oversized ego, you know!”

“Oversized-- that’s very childish of you!”

“We are  _ supposed _ to be childish! We are kids! Mum said so!”

The two siblings exchanged heated glares. Beckett was inches away from throwing a punch--and shed some tears, most possibly his own- but Myles was wise enough to end his taunting. Or perhaps he felt like he was the bigger person and took pleasure in feeling superior by shutting up first. Either way, dinner was quiet and calm. Anyone with half the capability for empathy could tell that the twins were angry at each other. Artemis Fowl Senior, however, praised them for keeping their tact and manner tonight and ruffled their heads.

In other cases they would have beamed at his acknowledgement. Today they just fumed quietly at the other twin.

Angeline smiled to her husband before ushering her youngest sons to their bedroom. Beckett thought he saw Artemis frowning at them, while Myles was  _ sure  _ of it. He gave Artemis, who already retreated back to the other side of the hallway, a quick jeer by sticking his tongue out. Of course his older brother didn’t see it, but it was the thought that count.

“Come on you two.” Angeline tugged on their hands. “It’s time for bed.”

Bedtime with their mum was also peaceful. She read them a bedtime story that any other nights Myles would complain about it being unrealistic and too-- unintellectually stimulating. Nevermind that unintellectually wasn’t  _ really  _ the proper use of the prefix un-.

A story that, in any other time, would make Beckett go bright eyed and too excited to sleep. At least he thought he was too excited until his mum’s soft voice lulled him to sleep.

It wasn’t like that tonight.

Tonight they lied down on their bed with their backs facing each other. Angeline frowned at their behavior, noticing it as she tried to ask her kids what story they wanted this time. “Alright, what’s wrong?” She finally asked.

Without missing a beat, Beckett sat up and tattled, “Myles called me stupid!”

“I did  _ not _ .” His brother threw a pillow to the back of the blond’s head.

“You  _ did _ !” Beckett threw it back again. “You said it using big words and stuff!”

Myles hissed, “Stop lying!” He smashed the bolster against his twin repeatedly, with Beckett retaliating using his own pillow. “Mum! He’s lying!”

“Boys! Stop!” Angeline didn’t intend to shriek but she did, unused to hysterical children fighting. Arty  _ was  _ a quiet and polite boy, even as a toddler. She struggled to pull away their ‘weapons’ and dropped them on the floor. “I am  _ very  _ disappointed in you two.” She glared. “Especially you, Myles. Why did you call Beckett stupid?”

“I didn’t!” Myles gritted his teeth. He was adamant not to let tears fall from his eyes, and he would deny it if anyone asked him why his eyes were watery right now.

“You did! You said ‘at least  _ I  _ can hack a computer’.” Beckett mimicked his twin’s sneer. “You are a butt!”

“Beckett! Language!” Their mother admonished him. “You shouldn’t cuss, even when you are angry.” When she saw the other twin looked smug, she chided him too. “You are still not off the hook, young man.”

“But--”

“ _ Myles _ .”

“I didn’t start it!” He insisted.

“Then  _ how  _ did it start?” She folds her arms.

Taking initiative, Beckett answered for Myles. “I pointed out that he can’t break into Artemis’ office anymore and he got mad.” 

“Myles!” Angeline looked aghast, “You are not supposed to do that! If you want to play with your older brother knocks the door and  _ ask nicely _ .”

The dark haired twin sulked, feeling betrayed and fuming silently. He didn’t want to play with Artemis, he wanted to  _ beat  _ him. “Yes, mum.”

“Now apologize to Beckett.” Her urge only managed to squeeze a muttered apology from Myles. “ _ Louder _ .” She told him.

“I’m sorry.” Myles finally said in a more acceptable volume.

His twin looked smug. “Apology accepted.”

“Now, isn’t it nice to get along?” Angeline cooed. Myles tried his best not to grumble. Thankfully, his mother didn’t seem to notice it. “Now off to bed you two!”

They did so dutifully, waiting until she turned on the nightlight and shut the door to silently kick each other under the blanket. By the end of the night, they forgot what they were fighting about and fell asleep, tired and gigglish.

* * *

”Good morning, my lieges! Wakey wakey!” Having Juliet as their bodyguard slash babysitter meant that she would wake the twins up with a sing song voice and opening the drapes to light the sun their way. In short, Juliet was a butt.

“Ugggggh, ten more moooonths…” Myles rolled away to the other side of his bed. His hand was grasping randomly until it reached and grabbed his bolster, which he proceeded to use to cover his head.

“You are not a bear, Myles. Come on! Wake up and smell the pancakes!”

“Nnnnngggh, I’ll wake up after Beckett wakes up.” Even half asleep, Myles managed to lie smoothly.

In reply to that statement, his twin muttered, “Five more minutes…” in a voice too low to be comprehensible.

“Don’t make me carry you two like sacks!” Juliet threatened. The twins, as expected, called the bluff. Or perhaps they just simply went back to sleep and didn’t hear her. “Seriously?” Turned out it wasn’t a bluff at all and she pulled the blanket away from them with ease. Myles let out an offended squeak while Beckett simply grunted and rolled over, still trying to sleep. Juliet clucked her tongue once in annoyance before slinging the boys over to her shoulders.  _ Now  _ Beckett woke up.

“Juliet! This isn’t fair!” The blond whined, “You never did this to Arty!”

“That’s because Artemis isn’t my charge,  _ silly _ .” Juliet smirked, using baby voice to tease them.

“Stop this! We are old enough to make our own decision!” Myles tried to sound authoritative, clearly frustrated by the way Juliet was treating them.

“Then how come you are still seven years old?” She snarked, something Myles didn’t appreciate. The dark haired boy began to try biting the back of his bodyguard’s body. It was hard to do since Juliet’s back was made out of pure muscle, it seemed. “Are you licking my shirt?” She scoffed with only mild annoyance.

Beckett seemed to already have given up to the fate of being turned into a sack, and decided the best way to cope was by sleeping on Juliet’s shoulder. “Beckett! Do something!” His twin complained.

Beckett’s eyes blinked open painfully slow, much to Myles’ impatience. “But Myles, we are getting free ride downstairs.” He said with a lazy smile.

Juliet suddenly stopped on her track. “Oooooh, you sneaky little bugger.” The twins couldn’t see her face, but they could imagine her grin by just listening to her words. She suddenly squatted down, making the brothers yelped, afraid of falling down. Then, Juliet put them down on the floor carefully. “Now you can walk there.” She flicked on the twins’ foreheads with her fingers. They made an exaggerated show of pain, complaining about their heads being swollen because of her monstrous strength. Juliet just laughed it off. “Your heads are swollen alright. Just not by my love tap.”

As they reached the stairs, the three of them were greeted warmly by Artemis. “Ah, so you have managed to wake them up.” or as much as a warm greeting he could manage. It was the thought that counts. “Come then, mother is waiting.”

Beckett’s eyebrows knitted together, he turned at his twin and whispered, “Why does Artemis talk like he’s from somewhere medieval?”

Be it on purpose or not, their older brother and Juliet could hear him. The fact that Myles couldn’t stop his snickering wasn’t helping either. “Beckett! Myles! That is rude!” Juliet reminded them. This wasn’t the first time the twins were gossipping about Artemis.

Meanwhile, the brother in question just shook his head. “I was not trying to be ‘medieval’ as you put it.” He made air quotes with his fingers. “In fact, I don’t think I sound medieval at all.”

“Your  _ tones  _ sound medieval. Like the way nobles talk on TV.” Beckett defended himself.

“That… doesn’t make a lick of sense.” Artemis sighed, looking tired of dealing with his brothers already. The oldest son turned around and walked back downstairs. 

Juliet looked troubled, she tugged on the twins with a soft “Come on.” before catching up with Artemis.

Myles wasn’t stupid, and neither was Beckett despite not being a genius. Their family--or most of them anyway- treated Artemis like he was made of glass. Granted, their big brother  _ did  _ lost to the two of them playing soccer before smoothly excused himself last week, but it wasn’t that kind of fragile. It was… something else that their seven years old minds didn’t have the grasp of the concept yet. What they  _ do  _ know was that everyone doted on Artemis, and would always side with him rather than the twins.

It was frustrating.

They had breakfast in silence again, not looking at anyone at the table. Their father looked proud of them for another meal time uninterrupted. Beckett started to think that maybe he wanted them to be more like Artemis. He didn’t like the thought.

“Beckett, come on! We’re still not done searching for Arty’s girlfriend yet!” Myles hissed at him for dallying behind.

“Why are we searching for her in the garden?” Beckett folded his arms in defiance.

“We are searching for  _ clues  _ of her in the garden.” The younger twin shook his head, sounding exasperated. “I know I heard him talking to her here.”

“Maybe he was on the phone.” Beckett shrugged. “And maybe you are wrong and he doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

“I’m  _ not  _ wrong.” Myles snapped at him. “And you agreed with me before, why the sudden change of mind?” He sounded like he was accusing his twin of something.

The older Fowl didn’t like that tone. “Even if he  _ has  _ a girlfriend, so what? How’s that our problem? How’s that gonna help us be more-- more likeable?”

Myles’ brows furrowed in confusion and hurt, “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb, Myles. You are the smart one. You know Mum loves Arty more than she loves us.” 

“That’s not true!” The dark haired twin yelled angrily.

“Dad just wants us to be more Artemis-like too! And Juliet-- even our own babysitter will choose him over us! It’s  _ not fair _ !”

“Shut up! Shut up! You are stupid!” Myles lunged at him, grabbing his collar and shaking him while tears were running down his face. 

Beckett was barely budging, “Face it Myles! We were born just because Artemis was missing! Now that he’s back again, no one needs us!”

Using all of his strength, Myles was finally able to push his twin down to the ground. However, he lost his balance and fell on top of Beckett. “Shut up!” Was the one thing he yelled again after he recovered from his fall. There was no immediate response from Beckett, something that alarmed him. “Beckett?” He whispered, observing his brother’s closed eyes and reaching out to touch it.

However, when his palm was only inches away from Beckett’s face, the blond twin grabbed his wrist while his eyes were wide open. “Aaaaargh!” He screamed and pushed Myles on his back, reversing his position. “I’m not  _ stupid _ ! You are!”

They struggled in the mud. Myles’ heart started beating faster with adrenaline and fear from how angry his brother looked, “Let me go you dumdum!” He squeaked, his voice wavering as he tried his best to fend off Beckett.

“No!  _ NO _ ! I’m sick and tired of being called stupid! I’m not dumb! I know stuff! Just because I still can’t do mutli--multipication doesn’t mean I’m dumb!”

Unable to help himself, the youngest Fowl corrected his twin, “It’s  _ multiplication _ !” The result proved to be more disastrous. Myles shrieked when Beckett got hold of his hair and pulled on them. It hurt and it felt like his scalp was going to get torn off.

“I hate you! I hate you I hate you I hate YOU!” Beckett’s eyes were wide and brimmed with tears. His brows were furrowed and his teeth gritted in a nasty snarl.

The dark haired twin began to cry out for help. “Mom! Juliet! Juliet, help me!” He bucked, trying to get Beckett off of him. Looking at Beckett scared him, Beckett was scary and he was never,  _ ever  _ scary. He was always the nice one… well, until now. Myles couldn’t help but to shut his eyes tight because seeing his twin’s face contorted by rage was… was… he didn’t know the word that could fit this situation. He didn’t know how this situation even happened in the first place. “Help…” His cry turned into a whimpered plea. Myles didn’t dare to open his eyes, not until he felt something wet began to drip on his face. “Beckett?”

Myles could feel his jaw gaping slightly from the shock. Beckett was crying and he looked just as scared as Myles was. The grips on the younger twin’s shoulders were loosening and Beckett began to stumble backward, scrambling away from on top of Myles. “I--” The blond’s teeth chattered as he tried to stop himself from letting more tears fell down. “I’m sorry. Please don’t tell Mom…” He hiccuped.

“Beckett…” Myles stood up, or at least he tried too. His legs were still shaking like jelly from the slowly dwindling adrenaline. So instead, he crawled to his twin. Was it his fault that his brother got so scary like that? “Beckett-- I--”

Myles wasn’t sure what happened next, but there was a loud cracking noise and the next thing he knew… Beckett was gone.

No trace, no sign. It was like magic. “Beckett?!” The dark haired twin began to panic. “Beckett! Where are you?! This isn’t funny!” For a moment there was no other sound except for Myles’ own heavy breaths.

“There you are!” A familiar voice cut through the eerie quiet sharply. It was Juliet, stomping her way through the garden to get to him. Her face was a different kind of anger than Beckett’s, Myles noted. Even with her scowl it was soft around the edges, as if she was more worried than irritated. While Beckett… what  _ was  _ that emotion? He recognized the fury, but not the tears. Juliet stopped on her track, noticing the little Fowl’s pale expression. “Myles? Are you okay?” All the irritation was wiped off of her face, “Where’s Beckett?” She asked with a slightly raised voice.

“I-- I don’t--” Panic crept inside. With a whimper, he whispered, “He’s gone…”

* * *

Beckett kept his eyes closed for a long time. He was still curled into a ball and hid his crying face from his twin. He knew it was a futile deed. He knew, he wasn’t stupid. Myles was probably already on his way to tell Mom. Mom was probably already on her way to get mad at him and take away his television privilege. Maybe even worse. Maybe she’ll disown him. After all, he  _ hurt  _ Myles. 

Why did he even do that?

“--I said hey!” Beckett gasped in surprise when someone with rough, tree bark-like finger flicked his forehead upward rather harshly. The boy was about to whimper in pain, only to have his voice got caught in his throat when he saw his surrounding. 

It was a place that he thought he would only see in crime dramas. It looked like a warehouse where criminals frequented, dusty and smelling of mud, with dim single bulb lighting the whole room. What made him speechless, however, was the people in that room. Sitting on the chair were a giant humanoid reptile, scales and all, playing what seemed to be cards with a dwarf who sat across the table. And of course, how could one forget the bug winged, green skinned, pointy eared kid who flicked his head?

“What the hell…” The winged person in front of him breathed the words with a slightly shaky voice, as if they were trying to contain themself. His voice sounded cartoonish, like an adult man trying to sound high pitched by inhaling helium. “Oy!” He--it must be a guy, right?- stood up suddenly to look at his friends. “This is a human, innit? Young too!”

“What? No way! Isssss it that Fowl one?!” The lizard hissed, sounding more surprised and intrigued more than menacing. The card on its hands were thrown and forgotten as it crawled its way to Beckett. The blond immediately jerked their neck backward, only to have his head collided with one of the crates. The lizard…  _ wasn’t  _ scary. In fact, it fussed over him “Did you hurt your head? Did he hurt hiss head?” The latter question was directed at the winged person.

“I dunno?” They shrugged. “Clearly not Fowl though, his hair is fair.”

That comment made Beckett scowled. “I  _ am  _ a Fowl.”

The dwarf jumped from his seat and walked toward them. “Seriously? This is probably a prank.”

“No! I’m a Fowl! I might not be crazy smart like the others but I am!” Beckett let out his frustration by yelling to the strangers. His lungs were exhausted of course, and he swore it was the only reason his next words sounded quieter. “I am a Fowl…”

“Hisss gonna cry.” The lizard whispered. “Trussst me, I have nephewsss.”

“Am not!” Beckett hiccuped. 

“Awh, look! Jeeks, you made ‘im cry!” Wing-Guy snapped at the lizard--Jeeks- whose shoulders were now slumped with guilt.

“Ssssorry little guy…”

“I’m not crying!” As usual, the blond Fowl was terrible at lying.

“Riiiiight.” Dwarf guy looked unconvinced, but the only one who seemed unbothered by the tears streaming down the human’s cheeks. He stepped closer to Beckett, which made Wing-Guy-Gal barked at him with their squeaky voice.

“Mulch!” They said. “Step any closer and I’ll bite your jugular off!” They showed off their clearly blunt teeth.

Mulch raised both his hands up his chest, leaning back slightly and looking amused. “Whoaho there, Sweettums. No need to get all aggressive with me.” He winked. Jeeks gagged and Wing-Wing wrinkled their nose in disgust. “What? You know you can only leaves hickeys with those, Tums. Unsanitary, but hey! I’m a dwarf!”

Beckett watched the three with fascination. They acted more like the criminals from a drama--which he wasn’t supposed to watch until seventeen- rather than fairy tale creatures. “Are you going to eat me?” His question sounded far more curious than scared.

“Ew.” Tums wrinkled their nose again.

Jeeks just laughed--it sounded weird, his tongue kept looking like it was gonna get bit off. “No, coursssse not! We are not… uh, we don’t eat meat.”

Beckett only said “Oh.” in response. His attention was taken again by Tums and Mulch’s arguing.

“Oh-- Ooooooh, that is just-- you think  _ I’m  _ gonna sell the kid off to a sideshow?! Bloody  _ rich  _ considering who you are!”

“What’s that supposed to mean, Bugwings?!” Mulch looked irritated, “I’ve only done petty crimes!”

“Yer shady, Mulch! And-- and well connected!  _ Too  _ well connected!”

“For the love of-- D’Arvit! Tums, we are friends!”

“Yeah, for like, what? Three weeks, top?” Tums narrowed their eyes, “Don’t tell I can’t smell the stink on you because I can.”

“I haven’t bathed yet if that’s what you meant.” Mulch sneered.

“Insufferable is what. You--”

At that moment Jeeks used his hands to cover Beckett’s ears. “Hey!” The human protested, “I’m old enough!” He tried to pry off the lizard’s hands from his head. Needless to say his small arms were no match for them. Jeeks smiled at him apologetically and all Beckett could do was to huff and fold his arms in annoyance. 

It felt weird not being able to listen to anything at all. Usually, when Juliet covered his ears, he could still listen bits of the conversation. But with the scaly hands on his ears… well, he  _ could  _ hear, but it was like having water logging your ear. Or maybe not. He wasn’t sure how to explain the wub wub sounds he was hearing.

He could hear hissing from above him and the two bickering partners clicked their jaws shut immediately. The boy felt Jeeks releasing his head.

"Sorry Jeeks." Tums sounded sincere.

"Family man, aren't you?" Mulch chuckled, seemingly delighted but not because he found the idea funny.

"Piss off." The winged fairy snarled again.

Jeeks, to his credit, wasn't as pissy as Tums, preferring to protect the little human's ears from words unsuitable for children. "Tums!" Once again, big lizard hands covered Beckett's ears.

"Too bad, I already heard it." The blond said smugly, making Jeeks looked crestfallen. "Can you let me go now?"

Jeeks only sighed when he did just as asked. "Promisse me you won't repeat them?"

"Why do you care?" Even though his tone sounded taunting, Beckett's face showed the fact that he actually  _ was  _ confused. "Well, I mean, I'm not your son or anything..."

The lizard man shrugged. "Wordsss hold power. Even the ssmallessst one."

Beckett perked up. "...like magic?" There was a small yet excited smile on his face.

"I wass actually talking about ethicss. But sure? Magic too, I guesss."

"Are you kidding me? Jeeks! You don't talk to a Fowl about magic!" Tums' voice started out as a shrill yell before lowering it into a hissing whisper at the second part.

"He's just a kid, Tums. What harm can he do?" Jeeks' placating words for his friend felt like a stab wound to Beckett.

"I'm not--"

"Yeah, remember the first Fowl? The one who wasn't even twelve years old when he kidnapped an elf?" Beckett snapped his mouth shut when Tums talked again. "Maybe keep it shut, yeah?"

The little boy looked thoughtful. The first Fowl? Were they talking about Father? 

"....Jeeks, where's the dwarf?"


End file.
